Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Heinz Sweet Relish ultra-processed?

12.7 fl oz (375 ml) Burger sauces Sold in the United States, Bolivia and 2 more countries

Pack of Heinz Sweet Relish

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed burger sauces

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

cucumbers, high fructose corn syrup, cabbage, distilled white vinegar, salt, potassium sorbate (as preservatives), sodium benzoate (as preservatives), guar gum, aluminum sulfate, xanthan gum, red bell peppers, polysorbate 80, NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, fd&c yellow no 5, fd&c blue no 1

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E133 Brilliant blue FCF , E202 Potassium sorbate , E211 Sodium benzoate , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E433 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate , E520 Aluminium sulphate

As written on the pack

CUCUMBERS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CABBAGE, DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR, SALT, POTASSIUM SORBATE (AS PRESERVATIVES), SODIUM BENZOATE (AS PRESERVATIVES), GUAR GUM, ALUMINUM SULFATE, XANTHAN GUM, DRIED RED BELL PEPPERS, POLYSORBATE 80, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS (INCLUDING CELERY), FD&C YELLOW NO 5, FD&C BLUE NO 1.

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • E102 Tartrazine Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 5 in the US).
  • E133 Brilliant blue FCF Brilliant blue FCF is a synthetic blue dye, listed in the US as FD&C Blue No. 1.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E433 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate Polysorbate 80 is a synthetic emulsifier used in ice cream and some sauces to keep fats evenly dispersed.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • High fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch: enzymes break it down to glucose and convert part of that into fructose, giving a syrup about as sweet as table sugar.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
3 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 23 burger sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 22nd. 91% of the burger sauces here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 23 burger sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 01313703, last edited 17 March 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.